1. Technical Field
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/819,244 filed Jul. 6, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referenced herein.
2. Background of the Related Art
Minimally invasive procedures are continually increasing in number and variation. Forming a relatively small diameter temporary pathway to the surgical site is a key feature of most minimally invasive surgical procedures. The most common method of providing such a pathway is by inserting a trocar assembly through the skin. In many procedures, the trocar assembly is inserted into an insufflated body cavity of a patient. In such procedures, the trocar assemblies with seal mechanisms are utilized to provide the necessary pathway to the surgical site while minimizing leakage of insufflation gases.
Trocar assemblies typically include an obturator which is removably inserted through a cannula. The obturator may include a safety shield which protects against unintentional puncturing by the sharpened tip of the obturator. The safety shield includes a mechanism which controls the relative movement and locking of the safety shield. Examples of safety shield mechanisms are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,266 to Stellon et al., and commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 11/171,052, filed Jun. 30, 2005, the entire contents of each disclosure being incorporated herein by reference.